Workout of the Day

May 22

Writing, Kind of Like Brushing Your Teeth

At this point, I’ve written close to 150,000 words for this blog (and if you’ve read all or nearly all of those words, thank you for following along).

For the sake of comparison, a 300-page novel is generally around 100,000 words; so while we’re not quite into Dickens-length territory yet, it’s not nothing for the span of a little under two years. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit proud of this, but perhaps for unexpected reasons. I bring it up not because I find a volume of words particularly remarkable, but because it is a testament to the value of a sustained practice. I didn’t write 150,000 words by being a professional writer, or by being the hardest working or most dedicated writer. I wrote it by doing a rather unremarkable thing with rather remarkable regularity. About two years ago, I decided I would set myself to the task of posting a blog every day for at least a year, and nearly two years later, here we are.

In a world where many of our best practices are anything but sustained and regular (see: exercise habits of Americans), it’s noteworthy to see what can be accomplished when you make a practice your “norm.” Writing a blog post every day is the norm for me now, the same as you’d feel a bit off if you didn’t brush your teeth or make your coffee in the morning.

Consider where you could be with two years of daily practice. Consider how change, that most difficult yet powerful and terrifying force, is as simple as doing something small every day. Consider the version of you for whom that thing -- seemingly distant, unfathomable, whatever -- is accomplished as a part of daily life. That’s the value of a sustained contribution.